JAMESTOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Do you speak the slang? You could be cringe if you don't. You could be cool if you do, but only if you do it correctly.
A month or so into the school year, your children might have picked up some new words or phrases from their classmates. Demure. Aura. The Costco Guys and their chicken bakes and double-chunk chocolate cookies.
What do they all mean? How do schools handle such a viral vocabulary?
WATCH: FOX 17 talks Gen Z (and Gen A) slang with seventh grade students at Riley Street Middle School
"There's so many new ways to say something," said Matt Baer, principal at Riley Street Middle School, part of the Hudsonville school district. "I try to keep up with some things like 'slay' and 'slay all day' and 'leave no crumbs.' Some things I feel like are coming your way all the time, but I can't keep up."
What was dope in Baer's day is now drip today. No doubt, now no cap.
"I just think that's the mark of any good educator," Baer said about learning the language of each generation. "By knowing your kids and knowing the slang they're using, I think you have better context to teach them, to reach them, and then to make meaningful learning in a classroom."
FOX 17's Gen Z (and Gen A) mini dictionary
Ate – To do well or succeed at a task. She ate and left no crumbs with that outfit. See also: Left no crumbs
Aura – A characteristic of a cool person. If you don’t know what aura means, you probably don’t have it.
Big Justice – The younger member of the Costco Guys. Big Justice brings the boom to his TikTok food reviews.
Brat Summer – A term inspired by the release of British singer Charli XCX’s club-pop album, brat. It’s a brat summer. I’m doing what I want.
Chad – A self-assured male. A Chad doesn’t get insecure when his girl goes out with her friends on a Friday night.
Coconut Tree – A portion of a viral phrase coined by Vice President Kamala Harris. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree? You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you. See also: Exist in the Context
Demure – Reserved, modest. The dress was very cutesy, very mindful, very demure.
Exist in the Context – A portion of a viral phrase coined by Vice President Kamala Harris. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree? You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you. See also: Coconut tree
Bet – A sure thing. I’m going to ask him out. That’s a bet.
Brainrot – A symptom of mind that spends too much time on the internet. My brainrot is so bad. I can’t stop calling my friends 'chat.'
Bussin – Yummy food. The Travis Scott meal at McDonald’s was bussin.
Cap – An expression of disbelief. You did not just thrift that skirt. That’s cap.
Caught in 4K – To be caught red-handed. He was caught in 4K after I showed him the texts.
Cheugy – Millennial cringe. Her Harry Potter sweater was kinda cringe, ngl.
Clean Girl – A minimalist beauty aesthetic. Slicked back hair. High-gloss lips. She appeared so sophisticated with her Clean Girl look.
Clip – A video game highlight. I just 360 no-scoped them from across the map. Clip that!
Clip Farming – Attention-seeking. Cut it out, girl. Stop clip farming.
Costco Guys – A father-son duo of content creators who post reviews of popular items at Costco. The Costco Guys gave the double-chunk chocolate cookie a boom.
Let him cook – To allow someone do to their thing. Coach finally let him cook with the starting quarterback job.
Delulu – Delusional. They felt a little delulu after double-texting them.
Drip – Fashionable. Those new Nike Dunks are drip.
Era – A specific period of time in a person’s life. After a bad interview, they were in their flop era.
Fit Check – A video where a person describes their outfit. Fit check! My top is thrifted, my jeans are from American Eagle. Shoes are Birkenstocks.
Flex - A form of bragging. He rolled up to prom in his dad’s lifted Silverado. What a flex.
Fanum tax – The theft of food between friends. He imposed a fanum tax on her fries.
Gagged – Taken aback. Her speech gagged the audience.
Ghost – Refusing to reply to texts and other virtual forms of communication without reason. Bradley ghosted Charley after their date.
Glow up – A positive transformation in a person’s appearance. Kimberly had a huge glow up over the summer.
Glizzy – Hot dog. Joey Chestnut is the king of glizzies.
Griddy – A celebratory dance popularized by Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson. James hit the griddy when he beat the Ender Dragon in Minecraft.
Grimace Shake – A shake inspired by McDonald’s most purple mascot, Grimace. People on TikTok pretended to die after drinking the Grimace shake.
Ick – To lose interest in someone, often romantically. I got the ick after I saw him pick his nose.
It's Giving – A comparision between one thing and another. That. car is giving soccer mom.
Kai Cenat – A popular American streamer. Kai Cenat’s Minecraft stream with Speed was crazy, bro.
Left no crumbs – To do well or succeed at a task. She ate and left no crumbs with her fit.
Locked In – Focused. I’m locked in for tonight’s volleyball game.
Looksmaxxing – To work on ones appearance, often through mewing. I’ve been looksmaxxing, trying to get my jawline better. See also: Mewing.
Low Taper Fade – A type of haircut. Imagine if Ninja got a low taper fade.
Mid – Average in the worst way possible. Lunch was mid.
Mewing – A technique used to improve one’s jawline by pressing the tongue against the roof of the mouth. I’ve been mewing in class to work on my jawline. See also: Looksmaxxing.
NPC – A video game term used to describe someone who lacks originality and independence, short for non-playable character. Mark dresses like an NPC.
Ohio – A cringe place. Don’t talk to him. He’s from Ohio.
Out of pocket – Unnecessary. What she said to him was so out of pocket.
Preppy Girl – A pastel-colored, brand-heavy aesthetic. Her new Lululemon top and Stanley water bottle gave Preppy Girl.
Rage bait – Trolling for a reaction. Don’t respond to that DM. It’s just rage bait.
Ratio – A social media post that receives more negative responses than positive ones. Hailey’s tweet about the debate got ratio’d last night.
Rizz – Charisma. Baby Gronk rizzed up Livvy Dunne.
Roman Empire – A recurring thought, based upon the belief that men often think about the Roman Empire. Taylor Swift’s Reputation Tour is my Roman Empire.
Sigma – An alpha male, but better and more independent. Tommy Shelby from Peaky Blinders is such a sigma.
Skibidi Toilet – A viral web series about an army of toilets set on world domination. Did you see the latest Skibidi Toilet video?
Slay – To do well at something. She slayed the red carpet in her Gucci dress.
Sleep on – To underestimate. The vanilla frosty at Wendy’s is so slept on.
Stan – A fan; or the act of rooting for someone’s success. We stan Ariana Grande.
Sus – Suspicious. You don’t like the Costco Guys? That’s sus.
Tea – Gossip. Spill the tea, girl!
Touch grass – Reconnecting with reality, often after spending too much time online. You’ve been playing Fortnite all morning. Touch grass, bro.
Understood the assignment – Exceeding expectations. She understood the assignment with her makeup.
What the Sigma – An expression of disbelief. Did you just send me an Instagram reel? Erm, what the sigma?
W Strat – A good idea. Autumn’s suggestion to go to KFC was a W Strat.
Yapping – Talking too much. My cousin wouldn’t stop yapping about the new Fortnite update.
